1 Kings 1:41-53
New English Translation
41 Now Adonijah and all his guests heard the commotion just as they had finished eating.[a] When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he asked, “Why is there such a noisy commotion in the city?”[b] 42 As he was still speaking, Jonathan[c] son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for[d] an important man like you must be bringing good news.”[e] 43 Jonathan replied[f] to Adonijah: “No![g] Our master[h] King David has made Solomon king. 44 The king sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites, and the Pelethites and they put him on the king’s mule. 45 Then Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed[i] him king in Gihon. They went up from there rejoicing, and the city is in an uproar. That is the sound you hear. 46 Furthermore, Solomon has assumed the royal throne.[j] 47 The king’s servants have even come to congratulate[k] our master[l] King David, saying, ‘May your God[m] make Solomon more famous than you and make him an even greater king than you!’[n] Then the king leaned[o] on the bed 48 and said[p] this: ‘The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because[q] today he has placed a successor on my throne and allowed me to see it.’”[r]
49 All of Adonijah’s guests panicked;[s] they jumped up and rushed off their separate ways. 50 Adonijah feared Solomon, so he got up and went and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar.[t] 51 Solomon was told, “Look, Adonijah fears you;[u] see, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘May King Solomon solemnly promise[v] me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’” 52 Solomon said, “If he is a loyal subject,[w] not a hair of his head will be harmed, but if he is found to be a traitor,[x] he will die.” 53 King Solomon sent men to bring him down[y] from the altar. He came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon told him, “Go home.”[z]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 1:41 tn Heb “And Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard, now they had finished eating.”
- 1 Kings 1:41 tn Heb “Why is the city’s sound noisy?”
- 1 Kings 1:42 tn The Hebrew text has “look” at this point. The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), “look” draws attention to Jonathan’s arrival and invites the audience to view the scene through the eyes of the participants.
- 1 Kings 1:42 tn Or “surely.”
- 1 Kings 1:42 tn Heb “you are a man of strength [or “ability”] and you bring a message [that is] good.” Another option is to understand the phrase אִישׁ חַיִל (ʾish khayil) in the sense of “a worthy man,” that is “loyal.” See also 1 Kgs 1:52 and HALOT 311 s.v. חַיִל.
- 1 Kings 1:43 tn Heb “answered and said.”
- 1 Kings 1:43 tn For a similar use of אֲבָל (ʾaval), see Gen 17:19, where God rejects Abraham’s proposal and offers an alternative.
- 1 Kings 1:43 tn The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.
- 1 Kings 1:45 tn I.e., designated by anointing with oil.
- 1 Kings 1:46 tn Heb “And also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom.”
- 1 Kings 1:47 tn Heb “to bless.”
- 1 Kings 1:47 tn The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.
- 1 Kings 1:47 tc Many Hebrew mss agree with the Qere in reading simply “God.”
- 1 Kings 1:47 tn Heb “make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne.” The term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) is used here of one’s fame and reputation.
- 1 Kings 1:47 tn Or “bowed down; worshiped.”
- 1 Kings 1:48 tn The Hebrew text reads, “and the king said.”
- 1 Kings 1:48 tn Or “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who….” In this blessing formula אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher, “who; because”) introduces the reason why the one being blessed deserves the honor.
- 1 Kings 1:48 tn Heb “and my eyes are seeing.”
- 1 Kings 1:49 tn Or “were afraid, trembled.”
- 1 Kings 1:50 sn Grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. The “horns” of the altar were the horn-shaped projections on the four corners of the altar (see Exod 27:2). By going to the holy place and grabbing hold of the horns of the altar, Adonijah was seeking asylum from Solomon.
- 1 Kings 1:51 tn Heb “King Solomon.” The name and title have been replaced by the pronoun (“you”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- 1 Kings 1:51 tn Or “swear an oath to.”
- 1 Kings 1:52 tn Heb “if he is a man of strength [or ability].” In this context, where Adonijah calls himself a “servant,” implying allegiance to the new king, the phrase אִישׁ חַיִל (ʾish khayil) probably carries the sense of “a worthy man,” that is, “loyal” (see HALOT 311 s.v. חַיִל).
- 1 Kings 1:52 tn Heb “but if evil is found in him.”
- 1 Kings 1:53 tn Heb “sent and they brought him down.”
- 1 Kings 1:53 tn Heb “Go to your house.”
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